• by Aliza Freud , Columnist, August 29, 2016

Last week, an article from a trade headlined, “Is the Mommy Blog Dead?” went viral. The article has two perspectives on the question of: “Is the Mommy Blog Dead?” One of the perspectives comes from a former mom blogger turned influencer agency founder. Her contention is, in short, that “mommy” bloggers did not evolve and they no longer have credibility or influence. Oh, and more often than not, they do not disclose properly about sponsored blog content.

The irony is that it is these very “mommy” bloggers, “without influence,” who actually caused the post to go viral. I must have seen it posted in dozens of Facebook and Twitter feeds from influencers/bloggers that I’m connected to and, subsequently, industry professionals who follow these bloggers. And those are just the posts that I saw. In fact, the article was so popular that the trade publication hosted a live podcast and Facebook Live covered the topic in greater detail.

As many brands looking to reach moms today are either testing the waters of influencer marketing or analyzing the ROI of their influencer marketing campaigns, it’s important to address the question of influence that these bloggers bring to the table. 

First, I am compelled to point out that most bloggers I know who happen to be moms and write, in part, about their families, find the term “mommy” blogger to be condescending. The majority of these bloggers write about many aspects of their lives, just one part being their children so, why call them “mommy” bloggers? They are multi-faceted women who have built social followings due to their smart, funny, engaging, clever and informative content. Says Rachel Ferrucci of Tools2Tiaras.com, “I find it funny when people call me a ‘mommy blogger’ because I'm a lifestyle blogger who mostly writes about travel and beauty. It's like saying all magazines including Cosmo and AutoTrader are family mags.”

Second, the vast majority of bloggers have built followings across many social platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. Their blog is but one place that they are creating content for and influencing their audience. A recent sponsored program that Ferrucci worked on for Kmart had her not only create a blog post but also a live in-store Periscope, Instagram content, Facebook posts and a Snapchat. Ferrucci talked to her audience in real-time and became a hit, bringing dozens of her Periscope followers in the store to meet her while there. Ferrucci’s example exemplifies this concept: her blog represents but one part of her audience and where her content lives.

Finally, both research and in-market data prove that these influencers (who have blogs) move the needle on sales as well as key brand health metrics like purchase intent, recommendation intent, brand favorability, product knowledge, etc. According to M2Ms.com, 65% of moms report that they have bought something because of a recommendation they saw online. Additionally, more than half of moms who are social media users say they regularly make purchase decisions based on information they see on blogs. And, according to Klout, in 2015, 5 out of the top 10 bloggers were “mom” bloggers. 

Given that mothers account for 80% of household buying decisions in the U.S., that’s a whole lot of potential revenue for brands, so it makes sense that they look to engage with bloggers who have built multiple social channels followed by moms.

Where do you fall on the question of Mom Blogger Influence? Is it real or a thing of the past? Reach me here or at @shespeaking on Twitter to give me your thoughts!